Divine (performer)

Harris Glenn Milstead (October 19, 1945 – March 7, 1988), better known by the stage name Divine, was an American drag queen. Closely associated with independent filmmaker John Waters, Divine was a character actor, usually performing female roles in cinematic and theatrical productions, and adopted a female drag persona for his music career. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, to a conservative middle-class family, Milstead developed an early interest in drag while working as a women's hairdresser. By the mid-1960s he had embraced the city's countercultural scene and befriended Waters, who gave him the name "Divine" and the tagline of "the most beautiful woman in the world, almost". Along with his friend David Lochary, Milstead joined Waters's acting troupe, the Dreamlanders, and adopted female roles for their experimental short films Roman Candles (1968), Eat Your Makeup (1968) and The Diane Linkletter Story (1970). Again in drag, he took a lead role in both of Waters's early full-length movies, Mondo Trasho (1969) and Multiple Maniacs (1970), the latter of which attracted press attention for the group. Milstead next starred in Waters's Pink Flamingos (1972), which was a hit on the U.S. midnight movie circuit, became a cult classic and established Milstead's fame in the American counterculture. After starring as the lead role in Waters's next film, Female Trouble (1974), Divine moved on to theater, appearing in several avant-garde performances alongside San Francisco drag collective, The Cockettes. He followed this with a performance in Tom Eyen's play Women Behind Bars and its sequel, The Neon Woman. Continuing his cinematic work, he starred in two more of Waters's films, Polyester (1981) and Hairspray (1988), the latter of which represented his breakthrough into mainstream cinema and for which he was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male. Independent of Waters, he also appeared in several other films, such as Lust in the Dust (1984) and Trouble in Mind (1985), seeking to diversify his repertoire by playing male roles. In 1982, Divine embarked on a career in the disco industry by producing a number of Hi-NRG tracks, most of which were written by Bobby Orlando. He achieved international chart success with hits like "You Think You're a Man", "I'm So Beautiful" and "Walk Like a Man", all performed in drag. Described by People magazine as the "Drag Queen of the Century", Divine has remained a cult figure, particularly within the LGBTQ community, and has provided the inspiration for fictional characters, artworks and songs. Various books and documentary films devoted to his life have also been produced, including Divine Trash (1998) and I Am Divine (2013).

Infobox

Born

Harris Glenn Milstead(1945-10-19)October 19, 1945Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.

Died

March 7, 1988(1988-03-07) (aged 42)Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Resting place

Prospect Hill Cemetery, Towson, Maryland, U.S.

Occupations

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Years active

1966–1988

Website

divineofficial.com

Occupation

Drag queen

Tables

· Filmography

1966

Roman Candles

Role(s)

Party Guest / Woman with Scarf

1968

Eat Your Makeup

Role(s)

Jacqueline Kennedy

1969

The Diane Linkletter Story

Role(s)

Diane Linkletter

Mondo Trasho

Role(s)

Divine

1970

Multiple Maniacs

Role(s)

Lady Divine

1972

Pink Flamingos

Role(s)

Divine / Babs Johnson

1974

Female Trouble

Role(s)

Dawn Davenport / Earl Peterson

1979

Tally Brown, New York

Role(s)

Himself

Notes

Documentary

1980

The Alternative Miss World

Role(s)

Guest of Honour / Interviewer

Notes

Filmed in 1978

1981

Polyester

Role(s)

Francine Fishpaw

1985

Lust in the Dust

Role(s)

Rosie Velez

Trouble in Mind

Role(s)

Hilly Blue

Divine Waters

Role(s)

Himself

Notes

Documentary

1987

Tales from the Darkside

Role(s)

Chia Fung

Notes

1 episode ("Seymourlama")

1988

Hairspray

Role(s)

Edna Turnblad / Arvin Hodgepile

Notes

Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male

1989

Out of the Dark

Role(s)

Det. Langella

Notes

Released posthumously

1998

Divine Trash

Role(s)

Himself

Notes

Archive footage used for documentary

2000

In Bad Taste

2002

The Cockettes

2013

I Am Divine

Year	Work	Role	Notes
1966	Roman Candles	Party Guest / Woman with Scarf
1968	Eat Your Makeup	Jacqueline Kennedy
1969	The Diane Linkletter Story	Diane Linkletter
1969	Mondo Trasho	Divine
1970	Multiple Maniacs	Lady Divine
1972	Pink Flamingos	Divine / Babs Johnson
1974	Female Trouble	Dawn Davenport / Earl Peterson
1979	Tally Brown, New York	Himself	Documentary
1980	The Alternative Miss World	Guest of Honour / Interviewer	Filmed in 1978
1981	Polyester	Francine Fishpaw
1985	Lust in the Dust	Rosie Velez
	Trouble in Mind	Hilly Blue
	Divine Waters	Himself	Documentary
1987	Tales from the Darkside	Chia Fung	1 episode ("Seymourlama")
1988	Hairspray	Edna Turnblad / Arvin Hodgepile	Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male
1989	Out of the Dark	Det. Langella	Released posthumously
1998	Divine Trash	Himself	Archive footage used for documentary
2000	In Bad Taste
2002	The Cockettes
2013	I Am Divine

· Discography › Albums

1982

Jungle Jezebel (also titled My First Album)

Role(s)

O Records / Metronome

1984

T Shirts and Tight Blue Jeans (Non Stop Dance Remix)

Role(s)

Break Records

Year	Title	Record company
1982	Jungle Jezebel (also titled My First Album)	O Records / Metronome
1984	T Shirts and Tight Blue Jeans (Non Stop Dance Remix)	Break Records

· Discography › Compilation albums

1984

The Story So Far

Role(s)

Bellaphon

1988

Maid in England

Role(s)

Bellaphon

Year	Title	Record company
1984	The Story So Far	Bellaphon
1988	Maid in England	Bellaphon

· Discography › CD reissues

1988

The Story So Far

Role(s)

Receiver Records, KNOB 3

1989

The Best of & The Rest Of

Role(s)

Action Replay Records, CDAR 1007

1990

Maid in England

Role(s)

ZYX Records, CD 9066

1991

The Best of Divine: Native Love

Role(s)

"O" Records, HTCD 16-2

1993

The 12" Collection

Role(s)

Unidisc Music Inc., SPLK-7098

1994

Jungle Jezebel

Role(s)

"O" Records, HTCD 6609

The Cream of Divine

Role(s)

Pickwick Group Ltd., PWKS 4228

Born to Be Cheap

Role(s)

Anagram Records, CDMGRAM 84

1995

Shoot Your Shot

Role(s)

Mastertone Multimedia Ltd., AB 3013

1996

The Remixes

Role(s)

Avex UK, AVEXCD 29

The Originals

Role(s)

Avex UK, AVEXCD 30

1997

The Best of Divine

Role(s)

Delta Music, 21 024

2005

Greatest Hits

Role(s)

Unidisc Music Inc., SPLK-8004

The Greatest Hits

Role(s)

Forever Gold, FG351

2009

Greatest Hits: The Originals and the Remixes

Role(s)

Dance Street Records, DST 77226-2

2011

Essential Divine

Role(s)

Right Trackt Records

Year	Title	Record company
1988	The Story So Far	Receiver Records, KNOB 3
1989	The Best of & The Rest Of	Action Replay Records, CDAR 1007
1990	Maid in England	ZYX Records, CD 9066
1991	The Best of Divine: Native Love	"O" Records, HTCD 16-2
1993	The 12" Collection	Unidisc Music Inc., SPLK-7098
1994	Jungle Jezebel	"O" Records, HTCD 6609
1994	The Cream of Divine	Pickwick Group Ltd., PWKS 4228
1994	Born to Be Cheap	Anagram Records, CDMGRAM 84
1995	Shoot Your Shot	Mastertone Multimedia Ltd., AB 3013
1996	The Remixes	Avex UK, AVEXCD 29
1996	The Originals	Avex UK, AVEXCD 30
1997	The Best of Divine	Delta Music, 21 024
2005	Greatest Hits	Unidisc Music Inc., SPLK-8004
2005	The Greatest Hits	Forever Gold, FG351
2009	Greatest Hits: The Originals and the Remixes	Dance Street Records, DST 77226-2
2011	Essential Divine	Right Trackt Records

· Discography › Singles

1981

"Born to Be Cheap" / "The Name Game"

Role(s)

—

Notes

—

1982

"Native Love (Step by Step)" / "Alphabet Rap"

Role(s)

—

Notes

—

"Shoot Your Shot" / "Jungle Jezebel"

Role(s)

—

Notes

1983

"Love Reaction"

Role(s)

—

Notes

—

"Shake It Up"

Role(s)

—

Notes

—

1984

"You Think You're a Man" / "Give It Up"

Role(s)

Notes

—

"I'm So Beautiful" / "Show Me Around"

Role(s)

—

Notes

—

"T Shirts and Tight Blue Jeans"

Role(s)

—

Notes

—

1985

"Walk Like a Man"

Role(s)

Notes

—

"Twistin' the Night Away"

Role(s)

—

Notes

—

"Hard Magic"

Role(s)

—

Notes

—

1987

"Little Baby"

Role(s)

—

Notes

—

"Hey You!"

Role(s)

—

Notes

—

1989

"Shout It Out"

Role(s)

—

Notes

—

Year	Title	Peak chart positions								Album
Year	Title	AUS	AUT	GER	NLD	NZ	SWI	UK	USDance	Album
1981	"Born to Be Cheap" / "The Name Game"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Non-album single. B-side also known as "Gang Bang".
1982	"Native Love (Step by Step)" / "Alphabet Rap"	—	—	—	28	—	—	—	21	Jungle Jezebel / My First Album
1982	"Shoot Your Shot" / "Jungle Jezebel"	—	9	15	7	—	8	—	39	Jungle Jezebel / My First Album
1983	"Love Reaction"	—	—	55	25	—	—	65	—	The Story So Far
1983	"Shake It Up"	—	—	26	13	—	—	82	—
1984	"You Think You're a Man" / "Give It Up"	8	—	32	—	27	9	16	—
	"I'm So Beautiful" / "Show Me Around"	—	—	38	—	48	—	52	—
	"T Shirts and Tight Blue Jeans"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Non-album single
1985	"Walk Like a Man"	75	—	52	—	—	28	23	—	Maid in England
	"Twistin' the Night Away"	—	—	—	—	—	—	47	—
	"Hard Magic"	—	—	—	—	—	—	87	—
1987	"Little Baby"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1987	"Hey You!"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1989	"Shout It Out"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Posthumous non-album single. Recorded in 1983.

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